Ever started worrying after swallowing gum and fearing it might remain in your stomach forever? Well, guess what? Most of this knowledge was implanted in us as kids to trick us into doing something or stop us from doing it. Alas, some people carry such myths their whole lives and share them with others, continuing this vicious cycle.
In the golden age of misinformation, it’s more important than ever to separate fact from fiction as it can divide, confuse people and even cause danger to health.
We are on a mission to debunk them and have gathered some of the most mind-boggling misconceptions from a few Reddit discussions (one and two) that people should seriously stop buying into.
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If you cut taxes to the wealthy, those savings will trickle down to the lowly workers and make them better off financially.
It just makes the disparity worse. Because say their profits are 6 billion when their taxes are cut, the following years, they will do whatever it takes to match or even increase profits, cutting costs wherever possible. This includes increasing workload for employees for no increased wages. Tax the rich!
That was another one of Ronald Raygun’s great con jobs, along with “a rising tide lifts all boats.”
From William Jennings Bryan, circa 1896 - "There are two ideas of government. There are those who believe that if you just legislate to make the well-to-do prosperous, that their prosperity will leak through on those below. The Democratic idea has been that if you legislate to make the masses prosperous their prosperity will find its way up and through every class that rests upon it."
Load More Replies...These entitled asshats need to remember that the reason they make that much money is because of the efforts of their employees. Pay Workers what they are worth, Ffs
Whenever topics like this come up, I really wish we could hear from people who are educated in economics. Instead it seems like a lot of people just write their opinions based on their political views.
Economists say the best way to lift up the lowly workers is to raise minimum wages.
Load More Replies...The theory would work if we didn't live in a society that is based on scarcity and fear.
Modern myths emerge from people’s fear of rapid social and technological change, and the need to make sense of the confusing chaos of everyday life. Any topic is subject to numerous misconceptions, from medicine to politics.
Without the proper knowledge, we might start believing that the capital of Australia is Sydney, that humans have just five senses, and that bats are blind. Which is not true!
The myth that if you're a good person and work hard, you'll get somewhere in life. It's a flawed formula that doesn't account for a myriad of variables.
I only know 3 people who all grew up very poor and are now very successful in life. Most other people didn’t have the same luck as them despite working very hard
For *some reason* it's always the people who made it who are pointed out as an example, not the ones that failed despite there being way more of them.
Load More Replies...If hard work made you rich, africa would be the wealthiest continent by miles.
everyone i know who started off poor and is now., honestly less poor because it's not like they're 100% financially stable all the time, was at one point given something. a scholarship, a break on their rent being late, a ride to work/training, a chance at a job they didn't totally know they could do well, sometimes straight up a gofundme or other more local fundraiser. no matter how hard they worked, they had to be given something because it's just not enough. working hard sometimes in some places makes people more willing to give you a resource or a break that you will need to have to be successful. it does not guarantee you anything.
By the time I was old enough to stop believing that boolshite, it was too late to be an irresponsible dumb adult.
Some people DO have a great idea and are able to make it work, eg Jeff Bezos with Amazon and Elon Musk with PayPal. I don't have a major problem with people making money out of great ideas, but this is simply NOT an option for EVERYONE. 1) Not everyone has ideas which will change the world and make lots of money. 2) Of those who do, most will not be able to realise their dream due to lack of money. 3) If EVERYONE were a billionaire with great ideas to be exploited, who would be the workers who produce them? We need MORE inspired people like Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Warren Buffett, and Michael Bloomberg, among others.
If working hard was the answer, our inner cities and slums would be packed with millionaires.
It used to work until corporations perverted the model. As soon as a business goes public i.e. the stock exchange people mattered on e it goes public only stockholders matter. I lived my entire life working for small businesses. I'm not rich but I retired at 60 because at a small business you matter.
It passes me off when people discount luck. I grew up in pretty severe poverty by U.S. standards. I am intelligent (maybe a bit broken) and worked my a*s off to get out of it. BUT if I hadn't had a boss who mentored me from the time I was 16 and helped me along the way, I wouldn't be as well off as I am... I know plenty of people who work harder than I ever have and don't have much. I am now disabled, but financially comfortable for the rest of my life. Without someone actually giving a damn, I would probably have nothing now. And I know I got here with some luck.
Poor people are ONLY poor because they are ALL lazy and made bad decisions.
So true, almost lost my house and became homeless when I got cancer and Hubby's heart failed. Debtors don't care that you've never missed a payment in 25 years.
Most people that gets into financial trouble does that because of health problems. Even here in Sweden, with state sponsored health care. Because when you are sick, you cannot work. And even though you get som money from wellfare systems, it's nowhere near what it is if you are healthy and work.
Poverty is expensive - bank overdraft fees, penalties for being late paying utilities and rent, poor health because healthful food is expensive while cheap food is unhealthful - and so on.
Load More Replies...Most poor people are ONLY poor because the rich are ALL selfish and made greedy decisions.
Rubbish. I *am* lazy, now I am nearly 70, but I worked hard for 50 years and now own my own home and, following retirement, have a tax free super payment each month which sustains me. For the grace of God, there go I. In many ways, and on many occasions, I was so very LUCKY in my decisions. If they had gone the other way, I might well be homeless. I feel so sorry for all those who are homeless, and wonder about the people who live in eight bedroom Mcmansions with several rental properties and a couple of beachfront holiday homes worth over $10 million each.
Many years ago, I had a university professor who believed that the reason is that most people don't want to know how close they are to being homeless. They assume homeless people must be inherently bad, or did something bad to deserve it, etc. etc. etc. because OBVIOUSLY good, decent people who didn't do anything wrong could NEVER become homeless. It's just denial ... and lack of sympathy.
Money can’t buy happiness. It has been proven repeatedly that this is a lie! People who spout this nonsense are using money incorrectly! Pisses me off every time I heard it
It is absolutely true that money CAN buy happiness, but not guaranteed that money DOES buy happiness (ie buy away your grief/depression/mental problems). Can we all just agree on this and stop arguing and just be angry at the insanely rich that could make a lot of other people happier?
honestly, if money can buy a chihuahua im happy
Load More Replies...Money doesn't buy happiness, but it certainly makes the road to happiness a lot smoother.
Money doesn't buy you happiness, but it does buy a better class of misery.
Money doesn't buy happiness, it buys options and one of those options is to be happy.
science says money buys happiness. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/03/08/money-wealth-happiness-study/
On average, absolutely. But there's no individual guarantees. I live in a decent house (shared with a roommate, but it's comfortable), and paid for a lot of good therapists over the years. Still depressed. Still miss my mom. Still lonely. Especially the last one, you can't buy love or true friends.
Load More Replies...Money is a hygiene factor (Herzberg). Up to a certain degree it helps - a lot! But beyond a certain degree, not much else happens.
Money doesn't solve all your problems, but it does solve your money problems 😁
I would argue the true first myth of that sentence is happiness as a general state of existence. If you mean happiness as a fleeting moment then yes, money buys happiness and so do many other things. If you mean complete, sustained and pure happiness then it doesn't, but only because it doesn't really exist, no experience brings total and complete happiness. Which makes the statement pointless to begin with either way.
Debunking modern myths is an art that should be mastered in order to escape the sea of misconceptions circling our society. There are even specific instructions about how they should be countered with science. First, the myth should be replaced with a factual alternative, the catchier the better, as it has to stick in people’s minds. It's important to note that mentioning the myth can make people even more familiar with the unwanted information, so it's a good idea to warn them beforehand that you're about to mention a misconception. Finally, explain why the myth is wrong which is likely due to a lack of scientific evidence. Voilà! Next time, you’ll be able to successfully refute misbeliefs disguised as facts.
That a drink concoction can detox your body.
Your liver, lungs, skin, kidneys and other organs are enough. All you have to do is hydrate and have a good diet
Diet, exercise, sleep, regularly checking in with your doctor for physicals, vaccinations, and taking medication as prescribed.
Load More Replies...Water. Water detoxes you because it helps your organs work. Find a tap.
There are many variables here: your overall diet, genetics, what's in your water and air, etc. Your own body's organs are clearly not sufficient. If they were, people would not get sick. There are so many conditions beyond a person's control. We all generally live in an environment that is filled with toxins that our bodies are not evolved to handle. Including detoxifying foods and drinks is a good way to help even out the balance, but it is far from sufficient. Deep tissue massage, yoga, aerobic exercise are all necessary in a program for living a less toxified life.
But kale, apple & yogurt smoothies just taste good. I don’t care about ‘detox’. Gimme my darn kale
Sometimes those concoctions can mess you up. Know what you are consuming! I love the stories about folks who went on the carrot diet (eat only carrots) and turned orange.
The woman from the McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit was frivolous and sue happy.
She had second and third degree burns on her genitals and legs. Her skin literally melted.
Load More Replies...She deserved every penny. If you still think it was frivolous, look up the pictures.
More than the approximately $500,000 she eventually received.
Load More Replies...If you hand out cups filled with liquid to car drivers, those liquids should not be hot enough to cause third degree burns.
I just read up on this. The car was parked when it happened. No liquid for drinking should be scalding hot.
Load More Replies...People overlook the fact that the specific McDonalds she went to routinely sold coffee that was hotter than allowable by food safety standards and was told to stop before she bought her coffee. They do that because she used her groin as a cup holder and drove off with scalding hot coffee next to her genitals. Her bad decision doesn't negate their negligence.
Read a case study once that inferred that McDonalds was behind all the jokes that pushed this narrative. Couple tens of thousand dollars to Jay Leno to make this lady a punchline and all of sudden this lady who suffered a horrible accident at the hands of multi-billion dollar company is a joke.
Stop using gotcha headlines as your source of news. This woman went through physical trauma and deserved what she was awarded.
The most damaging witnesses against McDonald's were its own safety experts. They had been warning about this problem for year, but the corporation ignored them This is the legal definition of negligence.
Vaccines cause autism.
Tell the anti-vaxxers that there is a vaccine out that prevents autism and watch their head cave in
I'm autistic, and I would rather have my child have autism than die of a deadly disease that could have been prevented all due to a simple vaccine
The POS who got the 'vaccines cause autism' thing going didn't even believe his own research; he made it up to discredit the popular MMR vaccine at the time, because he wanted to sell his own to pharmaceutical companies and make money.
The vaccines themselves don't cause autism, it's the 5G you are more prone to being exposed to after being vaccinated that causes autism! Jeez guys, do some research /S
If your child dies of whooping cough (or other entirely preventable illness) they won't be autistic, so there is the proof that vaccines increase the amount of autistic people.
As if autism would be a bad thing. Says a lot about the people spreading this myth.
I asked the anti vaxxers, if vaccines cause Autism, then how did I get vaxxed before I was born ? They usually call me some real "delightful" names and tell me more about myself than I ever knew. 🙄🙄🙄🙄
Maybe vanilla autism is not a desirable outcome, but high functioning autism is what pushes our society forward. Yes, we pay for our 'gifts', in ways we cannot begin to explain easily, but we still serve a vital and needed role. In many cases, performing tasks that regular people simply are not equipped for, and that is noone's fault.
Oh.My.GOd. After thousands of papers against such nonsense, some people still support such silliness!
Misconceptions can relate not only to the things or situations in the world but also to the people themselves. For example, it's common to believe that men aren't emotional, don't struggle with mental health, or that their thoughts solely revolve around money, sex, and work. Similarly, some people still hold the belief that women spend more money, are more emotional, and naturally nurturing. These deeply ingrained beliefs can limit individuals and unfairly define them so it’s crucial to put these myths to rest.
"We're not a company, we're a family"
If a company says that to you, it's a red flag and you should run. They will work you like you're a work horse...
or its just a rlly nice new boss who actually means it (not common but can happen)
Load More Replies...This could be accurate... if you have an extremely toxic family that takes advantage of you at every chance possible
A great big drunken dysfunctional family at the Christmas table and granny just farted
That worked in our IT department at the utility company I worked for. We were “family,” by which was meant that we looked out for one another, we lifted each other up, and no one got left behind. Departments can be like that, but I doubt any such thing exists at a corporate level. We took our responsibilities seriously and there was no room for disruptive elements.
That is slow speak for we don't pay very well, have c**p benefits, and will work you to death.
So passive aggressive, guilt trips, expectancy of total compliance!!!!
That if a human handles a baby bird the mother will smell human on it and reject it. It’s an absolute myth. Birds don’t smell super well. I mean, don’t go around yoinking babies from their nests, but handling one at a time of need won’t be its death sentence.
Some birds will recognise the person who helped and will trust them a bit more than anyone else
Three things not to p*ss off: Cops, Nurses, and Crows.
Load More Replies...That being said, you should still leave baby birds alone unless they're in imminent danger.
i think it's commonly told to children so they don't go around touching and potentially hurting baby birds
Load More Replies...This was used to keep curious kids from climbing trees and taking baby birds out of their nests. It's not part of some big conspiracy. Grow up people.
It causes a lot of chicks to be separated from their mothers when children bring a baby bird that fell out of its nest in the house. When the parent grew up with the myth, never learning the truth, they will often do whatever in order to save the life (nurse it at home or say take it to a local bird shelter or aviary).
Load More Replies...Chance what? There is nothing to chance as it has been proven not to be true
Load More Replies...
"Your call is very important to us"
Also, how do you have "higher than normal call volumes" all the time?! What call volume are you calling normal? 2am during a power outage or something?
As a former customer support agent, gotta tell you, your call was really not important to me. I dreaded the call, and within 5 seconds I could tell what kind of person I'm dealing with. Getting a shouting customer or one that would swear at me made me frantically look for a way to fet rid of him/her, egen if it meant unplugging my PC from the socket (as the dam AT&T made sure you don't have any other possible method of hanging up).
please be kind to your customer service rep on the phone....it's not their personal fault the company has messed up! don't take it out them, they are people too (mostly,I have come across a few that take their bad day out on me, though do manage to calm them down a bit)....can get further with honey than vinegar
IF it really WERE important to you, then you would hire enough people to take the calls! The moment I hear that recording, I know that the shareholders and profits are obviously FAR more important than the customers who generate the revenue!
If there is a long wait time, I have been known to ask if the company employs adequate staff to answer calls. Facetiously, but my time is important to me, and I have other things to do. I also hate "press #1", "press #2" ... with a vengeance.
Medical specialists are also trying hard to clear many misconceptions related to health and medicine. Viral misinformation has become a possible danger to people’s health. Fears about vaccines result in the re-emergence of preventable diseases and the promotion of natural remedies discourages people from seeking care for serious illnesses. Additionally, popular diets and unproven wellness products might have harmful effects on people’s health as well.
That diamonds are both rare and a girl’s best friend.
Reminds me of in Discworld when Carrot sees the slogan about girls best friend and assumes they are sentient
I think that was Men At Arms wasn't it? I do love Terry Pratchetts work. Shame we have lost him
Load More Replies...I’d (female) much rather spend thousands of dollars on an overseas holiday making memories than thousands of dollars on a sparkly piece of jewellery
My wife is not a fan of diamonds. She thinks, and I agree, that they are the most boring and bland of all precious stones. They're just clear and sparkly, but offer nothing more (at least the "white diamonds" that are most common in jewelry). For her engagement ring, she preferred a stone that matched my eye color which a jeweler friend and I found. She couldn't be happier.
Here is the ironic part of that, the "clearer" they are the more they cost. The "prettier ones" with some color to them are due to imperfections. My favorite is the blue star sapphire.
Load More Replies...De beers started all that as a marketing campaign,along with how much someone should pay equal to 3months salary for a diamond engagement ring
For 70 years De beers horded diamonds to miniplate the prices (stopped the practice in 2000).
Load More Replies...An ad campaign in the 1930’s invented this nonsense. See “ How an Ad Campaign Invented the Diamond Engagement Ring - In the 1930s, few Americans proposed with the precious stone. Then everything changed.” https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/02/how-an-ad-campaign-invented-the-diamond-engagement-ring/385376/
I don’t have an engagement ring - I told my fiancé I didn’t want one - and my wedding ring was inherited from his grandmother. I would rather we put the money towards our home.
The Alpha Wolf theory or whatever it's called. Wolf packs are just families
They don't. They respect the family for what they can provide and in order it's food, protection, safety, warmth, love and play. A happy puppy that loves and respects you will sleep next to you and lean against you when it is not doing anything else
Load More Replies...Once again, this is an oversimplification. The alpha couple theory comes from decade-long of observation of wolves pack IN CAPTIVITY. The strong hierarchical structures gets implemented among wolves from different families who get forced to coexist in limited space (generally due to human intervention). On the contrary, wolves packs in the wild AND IN CONDITIONS OF AVAILABLE SPACE FOR THEIR EXPANDING TERRITORY are indeed mostly based on family ties. As usual in science, the truth is more nuanced and more subtle than a stark "yes-or-no".
Wolves have their slowest set the pace for the rest of the pack. These wolves will not get left behind and the stronger wolves will keep their eyes out for any attackers.
Beautiful! Wolves are often regarded as evil or scary but they actually look like big doggies. They won't attack unless provoked and generally try to stay away from humans.
Load More Replies...Experts on wolf behavior are happy to hear they've been wrong all this time.
This is nonsense, it is very real. Wolves have a social hierarchy with Alphas and Betas, etc. Most families have parents, the alphas. The "or whatever it's called" really supports your argument.
The myth that nuclear power isn't safe. It's actually equal with solar as the safest form of power generation there is.
Pollution from coal power and other fossil fuels kills 2 or 3 times as many people as Chernobyl did *every single day*.
Funny how people forget about the deaths caused mining for coal and by coal pollution
Nuclear is safe as long as you follow all the steps for safety. Cutting on certain safety measures are dangerous if anything happens.
I just find it odd that that is what makes it to be considered safe. You can drive a car safely if you follow all the steps for safety, if you know how to drive, you know traffic rules, you have good tires, seatbelt, clean rear mirrors and windshield, good eye vision etc. but that doesn't make driving itself particularly safe, it is still a high risk environment you need to be constantly alert in. I just don't follow the vague standards for safety when it comes to this debate.
Load More Replies...Depends on if you take into consideration the lives of future humans who will have to deal with the nuclear waste.
no it doesnt because the waste is minimal. and future lives will also be lost because of all the co2 output and pollutants from fossil fuels.
Load More Replies...Well as long as you have no safe long term storage it is simply not the same. And no matter how "pro nuclear power" people are, no one wants storage of nuclear waste material anywhere near them. Also, the alternative of course should not be fossil fuels but renewable energy sources. Last summer the water in rivers (cooling waters for many plants) got so warm that France had to reduce output of their plants already. That is only going to get worse. Stop riding the nuclear horse, it is dead.
Also I believe it's not only possible to be renewable only, replacing fossil fuels and not needing nuclear, but it's faster and cheaper over all because the most expensive part of nuclear is the planning and safety aspects.
Load More Replies...People are afraid of nuclear disasters from things like meltdowns, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, etc. There are HUGE improvements that have been made since Chernobyl happened that give me much more peace of mind that things won’t be as bad as Soviet-era technology and regulations. I say we should be using ALL forms of energy production rather than choosing not to use some.
There is research going on that will use the waste from nuclear power stations to create batteries. Part of the process involves using the irradiated carbon rods to create 'nuclear diamond' disks as part of the battery. Prototypes have been made but are very underpowered but they can easily provide power for around 23,000 years
Nuclear power might be safe as far as not killing people... for now. Nuclear waste is the issue...
If nuclear power was so dangerous, why haven't we heard about any power plants having problems?
A group of people called “science deniers” go as far as to reject scientific expertise and prefer ideology to facts. We are not talking about one fake fact you saw on Facebook, these people believe that climate change, vaccines, coronavirus and a round earth are a hoax. They are not merely uninformed - they are horribly misinformed.
Undercover police have to tell you they are policemen when you ask them.
boy ive seen ppl believe those instagram things saying "Send this message to ten people for a new emoji", they believe anything lol
Load More Replies...Potential criminal: "are you a cop? You have to tell me if you're a cop" Undercover police officer: "ah phooey, foiled again"
Unlike Ronald McDonald in the background. He doesn't care who knows who he is
This one depends on the country. Police works different everywhere. Many police forces aren't allowed to trick people into committing crimes, so police can't just walk up to someone and ask for drugs and then arrest them.
Yeah, that's called entrapment. A police officer can't directly commission an offence. But they can still lie.
Load More Replies...But do undercover criminals have to tell you they are criminals? 🤔
Yes. And you and John Dilligaf should collaborate to write that sketch.
Load More Replies...My husband, fresh out of college, was an undercover officer in a high school drug sting. When asked if he was a cop, he said he was. They thought he was joking with them and they thought it was pretty darn funny until the day he rounded them all up for arrest with the rest of his team. One of the teachers tried to sue him for deception, claiming he had to reveal that he was a police officer and hadn't, but the judge threw out the case for obvious reasons. I think it would have been funny as heck to see his lawyer at trial try to prove the case in which all the witnesses had been actually told, though.
Undercover is usually done in serious criminal enterprises. There'd be so many dead cops if they had to just admit they are cops.
but it would make for a hilarious sitcom routine. Scene: At the mob meeting : "Hey, Frankie, are you a cop?"..........."Yea, you got me, Tony, I'm undercover"............"Well GTFO of here ! GO! And never darken our door again!" ................"OK, OK I'm going! Hey , you guys still coming over for the BBQ this weekend , right?" ............."Well sure, but you can't be here , now. Take a walk, we'll call you when you can come back. "
Load More Replies...I thought it said that "Undercover police have to tell you they are POKÈMON when you ask them." I need some chocolate
And police are not prohibited from lying to you. Cops get promotions based on arrests, not how many times they have "protected" someone. Police lied to me and told me that my report would be anonymous, it wasn't, and my life was threatened as a result. I will think twice about reporting a violent crime in the future unless I feel someone is in imminent danger.
That being cold will give you a cold.
Well, actually, this isn't entirely a myth at all. The cold will not "give" you a cold, but it does facilitate making getting sick a lot easier. There has been multiple peer reviewed s that show cold temperatures lower the immune response in people's bodies, especially the nose and throat, where most pathogens enter. Here are some of these.....https://www.uclahealth.org/news/new-study-links-nose-temperature-and-immune-response#:~:text=According%20to%20this%20new%20research,EVs%20that%20reduced%20their%20efficacy .... https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/out-in-the-cold ... https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10066131/ ... Also, a lot of the viruses that cause colds survive better in cold temps.
Lol, this is the myth writ large. "Being cold doesn't give you a cold, but let's just ignore that and waffle on about other stuff"
Load More Replies...New research has found there is a part of our immune system inside the nose. It is a first line of defense against air born viruses. When outside in the cold that part stops working, thus making it easier for the virus to enter further into the body. Also it is less effective in the dry environment inside a heated house, so use a humidifier in the winter.
WRONG ! Medical school used to teach that cold temperatures had nothing to do with catching a cold, but recent research has shown that the mucus protective barrier in our respiratory tract gets LESS EFFICIENT when very cold air is inspired. Besides, contaminated mucus droplets survive longer in the atmosphere when the weather is cold and damp, so contamination from one individual happens more easily in cold weather (as a gazillion studies have demonstrated during the Covid outbreak). SO YES, COLD WEATHER DOES INCREASE YOUR CHANCES TO CATCH A COLD. (Unlike what most MD trained on obsolete notions tend to repeat over and over). Sigh ... !
Obviously, none of those effects will have any consequence if you are breathing in an atmosphere mostly devoid of germs, like the air above water in the middle of an ocean. But that's another question.
Load More Replies...If you get severely chilled, you could definitely become ill. Maybe not a cold, but you will snuggle down in bed fighting hyperthermia
Cutting hair makes it grow faster. Actually had an argument with a hairdresser about this. She insisted it was true but I said it wasn't. Went looking for actual reasearch and found that hair is keratin and cutting it does not speed growth
It just feels thicker because when it grows naturally it is curly but when you shave it it becomes a flat stub so it feels thicker
Load More Replies...My belief is that this comes from cutting the split and damaged ends off. It means that you're not losing length from the brittle ends breaking off, making it seem as though it's growing faster
This one is because if your hair is splitting and shedding more than normal it will break off and fall out before it can get longer. By taking care of hair including trimming off any dead ends will let hair grow as fast as it was all along.
Fascinating, because it certainly SEEMS to! I can go without shaving for three days, but if I shave the next day, then I have to shave the following day as well, especially if I have to go out. Also, way back when I wanted to grow my hair to collar length, it took FOREVER!
All in all, we should be ready to fend off many misconceptions coming our way daily. Fact-checking can be done in one second and it could help us break free from the vicious cycle of misconceptions.
Drinking a bunch of juice that's high in Vitamin C prevents or cures colds and flus
It just tastes good since your senses are muted from all the nasty congestion when sick.
"Vitamin C has many important functions in the body, including keeping your skin, bones and connective tissue healthy as well as help your body absorb iron. Some people incorrectly believe vitamin C will help prevent you from catching the common cold. While there have been many attempts to support this idea with research-based evidence, there is still no convincing proof of a significant benefit. A high dose of vitamin C taken as soon as you get symptoms may, however, lessen the duration of a cold." From health direct.gov.au
I have heard - though I cannot confirm - that zinc helps you fight off colds.
Since zinc supplements have a documented positive effect on the speed of healing during acute viral infections and do not carry a significant number of side effects, they can be successfully used to treat the common cold. https://apcz.umk.pl/JEHS/article/view/41587 Beware: if you take a zinc supplement regularly, take copper with it.
Load More Replies...That eating foods containing fat will contribute to your body fat more than the same number of calories in the form of carbs. Similarly, that eating eggs — which contain cholesterol— will raise your blood cholesterol. S**t’s more complicated.
Sugar is what makes you gain weight. If you cut down on sugar and fats, you won’t gain much weight
I'd say sugar and (non-complex)carbs, since those carbs will be turned into sugar by the body. Complex carbs are beneficial to the body though
Load More Replies...Calories are calories no matter their origin. But it's better to eat food that contribute to your health and help nourish your body than empty calories.
No completely accurate. Glycemic load is an important factor. The more a food raises insulin levels in your body, the more body fat you'll gain. So the same number of calories from white bread versus nuts, for example, will not have the same effects on body fat
Load More Replies...It's the frankenfoods that people eat today. Ultra processed foods containing substances that our bodies can't handle and that damage cells and mitochondria. Emulsifiers and so on. Ingredients that can be made in a lab or factory and are so much cheaper than the real thing.
The best diet is determined by your own health needs. That being said though, between proteins, carbs, and fats, fewer carbs and more fats (except trans fats) is generally a better way to have better health since fats make you feel fuller for longer and may help reduce the portion sizes during meals. Talking to your doctor or a dietician helps.
more calories out than in= weight loss. Fat and carbs have higher calorie loads per Gram than Proteins so if eaten in excess will cause weight gain faster. Simple sugars do spike insulin which can cause all manor of issues but NO food in isolation causes weight gain. However eating a balanced diet containing fibre, vitamins, minerals, essential proteins and fatty acids is more beneficial to health over all than a diet made up of highly sugared or over processed food stuffs
There are so many factors that can cause you to gain weight that the best way to control your weight is to eat a healthy balanced diet with the correct amount of each item from various food groups. You will find a balance that works specifically for you
You might want to educate yourself re eggs and high cholesterol, you will be surprised~!
Excess CALORIES will cause you to gain weight. These can come in the form of fats, sugars, and carbs. Sugars are the worst, as they are converted to fat the fastest. Simple answer is to exercise more AND consume fewer sugars; sadly this also means alcohol. We need carbs to function, and a *reasonable* amount of fat will slowly metabolise, and be used up if we exercise.
That "Flushable wipes" should actually be flushed.
Former utility company employee here… not true nowadays! Flushable wipes are perfectly fine, but there are always problems with aging wastewater lines that have not been properly maintained for 80+ years. This was demonstrated when we toured the water reclamation plant. Sanitary napkins and plastic tampons got raked out (among other things!), not paper. What will really clog a sewer line is F.O.G., which are fats, oils and grease. Don’t put those down the drain. The “The P’s” are fine: Paper, poo and pee.
They can be flushed. I saw this once and asked on my local water companies website. They told me they are safe to flush as the water cleaning process breaks them down and removes them like regular toilet paper
It’s not the water cleaning process that’s the problem. The wipes don’t disintegrate in water like toilet paper does. So they will clog pipes. Especially older, narrower, possibly cracked pipes
Load More Replies...These Australian-made ones can be flushed https://indaily.com.au/news/business/2023/09/11/flushed-with-success-adelaide-firm-makes-first-certified-flushable-https://indaily.com.au/news/business/2023/09/11/flushed-with-success-adelaide-firm-makes-first-certified-flushable-wipes/#:~:text=In%20a%20world%2Dfirst%2C%20South,Corey%20White%20and%20Phil%20Scardigno
Depends on the area and age/plumbing of the building. Some places you can't even flush toilet paper and must utilize the three seashells.
You should ONLY flush the three Ps; poo, pee, and TOILET paper. Anything else goes in the rubbish bin, including used tissues. 'Flushable wipes' must NOT be flushed down the toilet; they cause massive fatbergs, and should be disposed of in the rubbish bin. Environmentally, it is much better to use reusable nappies.
You have to wailt 24 hrs to report a missing person.
I never got this one. The earlier it is reported, the more chance of that person being found healthy. Hollywood has a lot to answer for.
Also people should not be relying on Hollywood for their information, particularly legal advice in an emergency.
Load More Replies...I rather suspect it depends on the nature of the missing person and circumstances of their going missing.
This one is not a complete myth, depends where you are. For example, in Michigan police can ask you to wait up to 72 hours if it's an adult you are reporting missing
But presumably not a vulnerable adult, such as someone with a mental health disorder.
Load More Replies...Report ASAP, then it's just a matter of when the police start taking it seriously.
Police will actually tell you to report it as soon as you become aware
It's true in INDIA unfortunately. My brother went on a field trip without informing anyone at home and we thought that something bad might have happen to him. When we approached the police station they told us to wait for 24 hrs with a thought that he might have gone out loitering somewhere. And Voilà, hes home. The interrogation at home was worst than the CBI/FBI for him.
Some police stations sometimes will still tell people this when it just isn't legally true.
Average humans only use 10% of their brain power.
But, as Robin Ince observes, this is complicated by the fact that people who say "humans only use 10% of their brains" do, indeed, only use 10% of their brains.
This is more of an efficiency rating, based on how people who have lost brain material due to illness or disease can still function on the remaining volume present. It turns out our operating system is less space intensive than we expected, but this doesn't mean we can become smarter simply as an act of will.
Well that counts Trump idiots out due to the lack of their brains.
At the time, what was originally said was, "we only know what 10% of the brain actually does." Like a game of telephone, this became "we only use 10% of our brain."
That cracking your knuckles will result in arthritis. Total b******t.
Why? I never understood this. Sure, it may not be your favorite sound, but it isn't like it is a repetitive, long lasting, loud sound. If I don't pop my knuckles a couple times a day ( like maybe one or 2 times at work,) my joints hurt and get a little stiff. The release of pressure instantly fixes that. Same with my back and neck (like I have had the begining of a really painful headache go away instantly after a good neck pop) I am not doing it to be obnoxious. If it is a sound that really makes you feel legit uneasy, let me know I will try to be mindful of that. But for people to be pissed is an overreaction and are being self centered.There are things I absolutely hate, like ketchup (I actually have a fear of ketchup, more on that later) yet I don't get mad at people who like it and use it in their food, because my disgust of the stuff is my issue, not theirs
Load More Replies...If cracking joints caused joint problems chiropractors would be worsening joints every day and go out of business.
One of my colleagues regularly cracks her neck really loud. Gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Yup! Totally untrue, however I did used to crack my Knuckles so much that I would hurt myself. So it may not cause arthritis but you can hurt yourself if you over indulge.
I never cracked my knuckles and my hands are riddled with arthritis
The idea that you should drink at least eight glasses of water a day to stay hydrated. I mean, come on, it's just not backed by science. Drink enough to be hydrated but 8 glasses is not magic.
Eight glasses is something like 2-2,5 liter of water and that is in the right ballpark for average person. But then there are the other things to consider, like what is the temperature, how big you are, what do you eat, how your metabolism works, how much physical activities you do, ... And one important thing, how much minerals are in your water? Level varies a lot, make sure that your water is not "too clean", then you may get migraines from drinking too much water and demineralizing your body.
Also as we get into our later years, the thirst sensor gets wonky so we fail to drink enough water. Also my orthopedic surgeon told me to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to hydrate the spinal disks. The spinal disks get re-hydrated when we sleep and not enough water consumption leads to premature disk degeneration.
Load More Replies...This is just an average. Some need more, especially if it's hot outside or if you're doing manual labor or more physical activity. It's amazing how much better you feel when you're well hydrated vs. not.
I drink almost a gallon of water a day. You should be urinating often. keeps both bladder and prostate healthy if you got one.
I can’t count how many people I’ve treated in the ER who were dehydrated and it caused other problems. One of the easiest things to avoid, honestly. Just be mindful of temperature and activity level because most people don’t realize just how long they seem to go without having anything to drink. If you want an easy goal to hit on a daily basis, shoot for 64oz (1.89L) I know many water bottles will have volume markers on them up to or even beyond 32oz (946mL) and I try to drink around two of those per day. Most shifts get me nearly four bottles, but I’m a very busy person at my job.
If you are the "average' human then eight glasses is about right. If however you are larger or smaller, you should adjust. If you exercise/sweat, you should adjust. If you are at a higher elevation, you should adjust.
I just drink water when it's hot or I've just lost a lot of fluid by sweating. Don't like water that much, I prefer tea, juice, home made herbal mixes, you name it. Also if I would drink 2 litres of water (which is not even recommended over here, we're told 1,5 l) I would need to get up during the night to pee even more often. No thank you. And no I don't get dehydrated. I check my pee color.
My kidney disease will argue with this one. Hydration is very important, HOWEVER, if you eat soups and fruits, plain teas, etc. that contributes to fluid as well, so it doesn't have to be pure water.
When I worked in Phoenix outside I drank 1 to gallons a day. Hydration is directly connected to environment
The myth that Polygraphs, aka lie detectors, are accurate. Actual scientific assessments of the accuracy of polygraphs consistently shows little to no evidence that they are accurate despite their prevalence in use by law enforcement agencies for investigations and for security clearances. It can result in a lot of false positives, for example, of people being nervous about questioning and their physical stress being picked up as a lie by the person “analyzing” the output. (I’m using air quotes here since it’s one of those things where the analysis is more subjective than objective so is prone to human bias.)
Scientists proved they were useless by having subjects lie confidently and the results came up as truth
I would never take one. They don't measure truthfulness, they measure stress
Which anyone being interrogated would have, it's nuts that cops read nerves as a sign of guilt.
Load More Replies...Worked for some place when I was 19 (I'm 63) and money came up missing made all of us take lie detector tests. Thing said I was lying. I've never stolen anything ever. But being nervous can mess those tests up.
Same with blood pressure monitors. Being monitored causes stress, which raises the levels. A small dose of sodium Pentothal, or other relevant relaxant, could provide more accurate results.
About the only things they can really prove is that you have a pulse, you're breathing, and you sweat.
Polygraph ate garbage. Even law enforcement will tell you this. A well trained detective will use them as a tool specifically because if how people react when they think "THeIr LiEs aRe bEiNg dEteCtEd." Should also mention voice stress tests.. Even worse accuracy than polygraphs.
Polygraphs can be excellent in revealing how scared or nervous a person is. Your two eyes usually will do that job equally well - just no print out.
Polygraph tests can only be used in evidence in a court trial. You can't be charged on a polygraph because they have a 2% chance of being incorrect
The chance of a polygraph being incorrect has been measured closer to 45%
Load More Replies...While this is true, the bigger problem is that a person might tell the truth, but the lie detector detects a lie. They are worse in that regard.
Load More Replies...Breakfast is the most important part of the day! This was nothing but a slogan created by Kellogg’s in the early 19th century!
Maybe the early 20th century, but not the early 19th. John H. Kellogg wasn't born until 1852.
Fun Fact: John Kellogg created corn flakes because he thought bland food would stop you from masturbating.
I've never masturbated with corn flakes but I'm quite sure it would prevent me from masturbating for at least a couple of days after that.
Load More Replies...Actually it is the best time to eat protein as after 8 hours of not eating, the stomach has more acid to break down the proteins. And dinner is the best meal to eat mostly carbs because they produce serotonin which helps relax the body and prepare it for sleep.
So steak for breakfast, corn flakes for dinner.
Load More Replies...This one is partly true. It is the most important meal, but not by a lot. It’s the first time you’ve eaten since like 12 hours ago hence the name breakfast. You’re breaking your fast. It’s pretty important
depends on the person i guess. I can skip any meal but not breakfast. And im not eating Kellogs c**p.
I have not eaten breakfast in 2 years, and I've been fine. I do eat other meals, but not breakfast.
Breakfast is the most important part of the day! - For Kellogg's stockholders.
It's only important because if you eat regularly through the day, you regulate your blood sugar, avoiding crashes. It also can help overeating because you aaren't starving from not eating breakfast.
Napoleon’s short height was greatly exaggerated.
Haha, I imagine people would tend to exaggerate shortness more often than they downplay average heightedness.
Load More Replies...He was of the same height as Nelson and the average of the well fed men of his day. If you go on board The Trafalgar, Nelsons flagship the height between decks is 5ft 4 inches.
Nelson died at the Battle of Trafalgar and so never saw a ship of that name. His flagship for the battle was HMS Victory, which is currently permanently dry docked in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
Load More Replies...Absolutely true, he was within the first 30%-tier of European male height in the early XIXth century. Two elements created the myth that he was short: 1. British propaganda (no kidding !) 2. The fact that he was permanently surrounded by his Imperial Guard, made of the tallest and strongest soldiers in the French Armies. Compared to them, he must indeed have looked like an imp ! But so would most of us, even today !
The victors write story. Napoleon was the enemy of England. Napoleon lost. The English propaganda is what turns into history.
Napoleon was often seen and pictured with his Imperial Guard. The minimum height for the Guard was six feet. This might have bothered other people, but Napoleon never lacked self-confidence.
Carrots improve your night vision.
This myth was created by the British Ministry of Defense in WWII. The British had a major technological advantage over the Germans: ground to air radar. This allowed the Brits to scramble fighters at night to intercept German bombers at an unprecedented rate during the Blitz. To hide this, the MOD invented the myth and circulated a bunch of b******t stories about how they feed their pilots a bunch of carrots and supplements made of carrot vitamins, which allowed the fighter pilots to see the german formations better.
Carrots are good for you, but they don't do s**t for your eyes.
Well, they do do s**t for your eyes because they are a good source of vitamin A, which is vital for eye health. They won't make you see in the dark though.
It wasn't ground-based radar; the Germans knew about that and had their own equivalent to track shipping. It was airborne radar in night fighters, which could locate night bombers precisely in the dark and meant that they could be shot down. Ground based anti-aircraft guns weren't accurate enough, and relied on the bombers being caught by searchlights.
There’s actually a second layer to this. The British were running low on food, and it was hard to grow certain foods in their climate. It was hard to buy food because of the Nazis. So, the government told the people that carrots had massive heath benefits for night vision. So everyone ate carrots so they could see better during nighttime air raids.
yes...we had a carrot mountain effectively,was a double ploy by us plucky genius Brits to get us eating more carrots 😁👍
Load More Replies...Sorry to be the pedant, but... It was actually airborne radar that we were trying to hide, not ground based. Also, the Germans were pretty much at the same level as the British, ground based radar-wise.
Neither does Mickey Mouse. Maybe cheese is equally effective.
Load More Replies...My Dad always used to say: Carrots are good for your eyes. Have you ever seen rabbits with glasses?
"Carrots won’t improve your visual acuity if you have less than perfect vision. A diet of carrots won’t give a blind person 20/20 vision. But, the vitamins found in the vegetable can help promote overall eye health. Carrots contain beta-carotene, a substance that the body converts to vitamin A, an important nutrient for eye health." So, carrots ARE good for you, ARE delicious, and CAN help your eyes!
However, they do have vitamin A, which aids eyesight, so it's not complete rubbish.
That washing chicken before cooking makes it safer.
This is something i recently became aware of after I saw a comment on a cooking video complaining that the meat was never washed.it makes no sense to me what this would accomplish except spreading bacteria around your sink
Well slime, dirt, particles, feather leftovers, just rinse it off. Not because of bacteria. Because of solid pieces of dirt that you don't want in your dish.
Load More Replies...Who on earth washes a raw chicken before cooking ? I didn't even know this was a thing..
Quite the opposite, washing chicken makes environment dangerous
There was a time when Salmonella was coming home with the chicken from the store. Cooking would certainly kill all of that bacteria. The problem was not cleaning your tools and surfaces well enough after handling the birds. Once cooks started using good cleaning techniques and strong soap, there was no more cross-contamination. This was never a problem before modern kitchens. In the old days, the birds and any fecal matter never made it into the house. They knew how to keep things disease-free even if they did not know why.
That working out will be the key to losing the pounds. Weight loss happens in the kitchen. Exercise helps somewhat but will do nothing if caloric intake isn't reduced.
and it will be much appreciated after the fall of civilization and everybody turns cannibals...
Load More Replies...Why does everything have to be so black and white? Exercise can definitely help, it's just that the changes people make in their nutrition usually have a much bigger impact. But the combination is still best.
I do both. I cut down on portion size, cut out sugar and I walk. I've lost over 4 stone (56 lbs) since mid Jan. I still have a way to go, but getting there. I guess moderation is the key.
Load More Replies...Well, that is not 100% true. Your weight change is quite simple equitation, "Weight change"="energy intake"-"energy expanse". If they are equal, you stay on your weight. But if you want to lose weight, you need to lower intake and/or increase expanse, so working out can be the key.
Working out builds muscle, muscles need calories. But, yes. 95% of your weight loss comes from food amendments
If you burn more calories than you eat you lose weight. Exercise burns calories. Seems pretty simple to me
It absolutely does help weight loss, if you are talking about converting unhealthy fat to healthy muscle. Protein takes a lot more energy to maintain, therefore any attempts to increase your muscle mass are going to up your burn rate and burn off more fat.
I saw a story where a man was declared obese by his doctor but when he tested him he was mostly muscle. He was in the hospital for not having enough body fat to sustain him
If you want to lose weight, burn more calories than you consume. Simple as that.
More muscle, less fat boost metabolism and burns fat and calories better. So working out is A key to losing weight, but not THE key. Gaining muscle and eating less sugar, processed food and burning more calories than you take in is the best way to lose weight and get healthy.
That NASA paid millions for a pen that would write in space.
They didn't spend that much and it was actually kind of a smart move. The fake part is just that the soviets simply used pencils instead.
The problem was shavings. Graphite and wood particles are not a great thing to have floating around.
Load More Replies...NO-one used pencils in space. OK, maybe once or twice in the early days, but it was soon realised by both the US and Russia that pencils are dangerous. Pencil shavings and bits of pencil 'lead' just float around in the weightless environment. And graphite is conductive- if you get graphite particles in electrical circuits, it's zzzzapp!
Fischer created the pressurized ball point pen while NASA were looking for an alternative to pencils due to the problems of graphite fragments floating around. They saw the pen a tested it and found it worked. Fischer then jumped on the fact that NASA was using their pen, in fact a particular model, and sold it to the public as the official NASA space pen
The pen that can write upside down! I have a space pen and I will forever feel happy that my mom bought my teenage self this for her birthday in the 90's lol😎
People thought the world was flat before discovering the new world.
That idea came out in the mid 1800s to try and discredit the church.
One thing you see from flat earth now is that they are unable to progress because most people watch each other for explanations which creates a cycle of them repeating the same thing.
Educated people knew the planet was round. Many uneducated people had no idea what a "planet' was - and didn't need to.
The idea that people in the middle ages believed the world is flat is from 1800s, not the idea that the world is round
Load More Replies...
That making more money means that you’ll be taxed more on the money you ready made. Go to any low income earner and ask them if they’d want to go into the next tax bracket by $1 and they’d say no very frequently.
I thought we figured this one out long ago. Getting a higher pay will never result in lower income. It can however mean you'll get less financial assistance (from the government or other sources), so it can mean your total monthly amount to spend gets lower. This should never be much though, because most subsidies are scaled with income.
The Great Wall of China is visible from space
It *is* visible from space, but it depends on what your definition of "space" is. The MYTH is that it's visible from the moon.
To me, the real question is "If you're gone to the trouble of going into space, why are you interested in looking at the Great Wall of China?"
If you go out and get wet in the rain you'll catch a cold. Even since covid people still believe this lol.
"The rain itself can't actually make you sick. However, staying wet and cold for prolonged periods may lower your body temperature enough to affect your immune system—putting you at an increased risk of catching a cold or flu virus." (A lot of these so-called myths are based on truths, they're just oversimplified over time until the statements aren't true anymore. Get the whole story and it makes sense again.)
My mom always told me to wear a long sweater in winter (long enough to cover my kidneys) so I wouldn't pick up kidney disease 🤦. I mean I love the woman....but FFS!
Cold and wet weather DOES in fact increase contamination rate between individuals compared to warm and dry weather. So no, this is absolutely not a nonsense (see my more detailed explanation on the very same question above). The belief that cold had nothing to do with air-borne infections came from MDs who, being generally poorly trained in physics, kept teaching this idea in school without realising that physico-chemical processes on human mucus and on expelled droplets had a very strong impact on the probability of an infection being transmitted from one individual to another. Obviously, cold weather will not crate bacteria or viruses ex nihilo, but that is another question really. You ARE at a higher risk from catching a cold from your friends in cold weather than in warm ones, everything else kept equal.
people believe that s**t but when doctors tell them to wear masks they are like, nah.
Fan death
The belief, common in parts of Asia, that having a fan going in your room all night will cause you to suffocate. (Don't ask how this works, it doesn't) Fans in those regions commonly have a 1hr timer.
Load More Replies...Huh? Like your fan would come alive and strangle you? Wtf is this one? Never heard it.
Not this type of fan, but when I was a kid, I would never sit under a ceiling fan because I thought they could break and cut my head off.
Never ever heard this one before I must say. I wonder how it came up to be ??!
Most of these (all of these) are simply repeats of ones we have all seen oodles of times before. And a third of them are either bad distortions of the truth or simply not true.
There are so many incorrect statements in this thread that I had to stop correcting the wrong parts. So, caution here: part of the so-called myths listed here are really not myths at all, if one stay away from over-simplification. Bored Panda editors, DO YOUR HOMEWORK before sharing nonsense !
I can't wait to see this list again next week and the week after that and the week after that and the week after that...
Most of these (all of these) are simply repeats of ones we have all seen oodles of times before. And a third of them are either bad distortions of the truth or simply not true.
There are so many incorrect statements in this thread that I had to stop correcting the wrong parts. So, caution here: part of the so-called myths listed here are really not myths at all, if one stay away from over-simplification. Bored Panda editors, DO YOUR HOMEWORK before sharing nonsense !
I can't wait to see this list again next week and the week after that and the week after that and the week after that...
